“I’ve also started to feel the effects of the hits that I took in my career. My memory ain’t what it used to be… So when it comes to concussions, CTE and how we can make our game safer for future generations, I wanted to put my two cents in – to help leave the game better off than it was when I started playing.”

In the video, Sapp discussed his hope for the future of football, his anger at hearing NFL owners deny the CTE crisis, the memory problems he is experiencing in retirement, and his belief that children should not play tackle football until high school.

Sapp is a 7-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle and Super Bowl Champion. He played 13 years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders.

“An Evening with Dr. Julian Bailes,” presented by the Marshall Sports Medicine Institute, will feature a presentation on understanding and preventing brain injury in sports by Bailes, a nationally recognized neurosurgeon who was portrayed by actor Alec Baldwin in the 2015 movie “Concussion.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 1.6 to 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year. Concussions occur more often in organized high school sports than in competitive sports, with football accounting for more than 60% of concussions.

Bailes is an expert in neurovascular disease and a recognized leader in the field of neurosurgery and the impact of brain injury on brain function. He is a founding member of the Brain Injury Research Institute (BIRI), which focuses on the study of traumatic brain injuries and their prevention. A former chairman of the department of neurosurgery at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, he is currently co-director and chairman of the department of neurosurgery at NorthShore Neurological Institute in Chicago.

Attendees will also hear from local physician Andy Gilliland, M.D., an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, on how programs throughout the Tri-State region are implementing cultural changes to better prevent, identify and treat concussions. Gilliland practices primary care sports medicine at King’s Daughters Medical Center and the Marshall Sports Medicine Institute.

Tickets are $50 per person or $400 for a reserved table of eight. Sponsorships are available. All proceeds go to support research scholarships for students at the School of Medicine. To make a reservation, contact Tami Fletcher by phone at 304-691-1701 or by e-mail at fletcher@marshall.edu.

The National Football League (NFL) and Football Research, Inc. (FRI) today announced the winners of HeadHealthTECH Challenge I and launched HeadHealthTECH Challenge II, which “invites proposals for improvements in football protective equipment including helmets and related technologies, turf systems, shoulder and other pads, and additional innovative concepts.”

The HeadHealthTECH Challenge series is one component of the Play Smart. Play Safe. Engineering Roadmap—a $60-million comprehensive plan funded by the NFL and managed by FRI “to create incentives for sporting goods companies, as well as other manufacturers, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and universities from around the world to develop improved helmets and protective equipment in the next three to five years.” Launched in November 2016, the TECH Challenge series is operated and managed on behalf of FRI by Duke University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (Duke CTSI).

“Our collective goal is to spur next-generation solutions in protective equipment,” said Jeff Miller, NFL Executive Vice President of Health and Safety Initiatives. “Not only do these grants advance promising technologies, but FRI’s expert partners at Duke CTSI provide valuable feedback and mentorship to all companies that submit proposals. We want to encourage and support new and innovative ideas that will improve sports safety.”

“The TECH Challenge series is designed to bridge the gap between the engineering and medical experts and the marketplace, and to direct funding where we can create value,” said BARRY MYERS, MD, PhD, MBA, Director of Innovation Duke CTSI, Coulter Program Director and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and a consultant to the NFLPA. “If you’re an innovator, we want you to apply. We want to hear what your product is, what your vision is and how we can help you succeed.”

FRI awards “the most promising TECH Challenge proposals with a cumulative value of up to $1 million a year, including in-kind support. For TECH Challenge I, a panel of expert judges selected by Duke CTSI, in collaboration with FRI, reviewed and provided feedback on 50 proposals all focused on improved protective equipment. Every TECH Challenge applicant receives constructive feedback to help refine innovations and increase chances for success on future submissions and is invited to reapply.”

TECH Challenge I Winners:

VyaTek Sports received a grant of $190,000 to support development and testing of its Zorbz technology, a series of highly efficient energy-absorbing modules added to a helmet system that can be removed and replaced after a significant impact.

Guardian Innovations received a grant of $20,000 to support biomechanical testing of its Guardian Cap technology. The Guardian Cap is a decoupled, soft helmet cover designed to augment football helmets and reduce the severity of impacts.